What an amazing opportunity it is to be involved with Cosmetologists Chicago, the America's Beauty Show Team, and to be part of Color America. With the huge success of our first Color America in Chicago, it was a daunting thought to plan our second Color America in the Company of Patrick McIvor, but WOW what an outcome.

With an A TEAM of Sue Pemberton, Jo Blackwell-Preston, Kris Sorbie and Kimberly Kimble, this past weekend was an unbelievable opportunity to learn and share with some of the biggest artists, and pillars of success in our industry.

After arriving on the Friday prior to Color America, I was so excited to work and get to know artists that I had only been able to admire from afar, while also being able to reconnect with some artists I have been blessed to work with in the past. This weekend truly blew me away, from touching moments that brought a tear to my eye, to laughing so hard together that my cheeks hurt, to meeting some of the coolest salon professionals, it was truly a gift to be part of Color America.

Kimberly Kimble

Saturday morning I had the most unbelievable honor of meeting one of the most beautiful people in our industry, Kimberly Kimble. We met in the lobby, although we had spoken many times on the phone it was our first time meeting in person, and together we carried three or four huge bags to the model room. I was so excited to see what Kimberly had inside the bags and had it been a million dollars, it would not have been as cool as what Kimberly had tucked away inside. As the models began to arrive, Kimberly, who is the genius behind the hair of such icons as Beyoncé, Shakira and Mary J. Blige, began to play like my kids do before Christmas. I was thrilled to witness her genius and creative process, and pretty soon, I too, was trying on pieces from her amazing wardrobe. We became fast friends and I learned that Kim was born in Chicago as a third generation hairdresser who moved to LA so her mom could pursue a career doing hair for TV and movies.

As Kimberly grew up, she was constantly surrounded by hair, but her mother's dream had not become a reality. Kimberly herself entered not one, but two beauty colleges where she learned ethnic hair at one and Caucasian hair at the other, so she could do anyone's hair that sat in her chair. In the beginning, reality was harsh. Kimberly applied to some of the top salons in LA, but no one had an opportunity for her until she met a gentleman named Rodney, who offered her a job cutting hair at his barbershop. What impressed me most about Kimberly, after the beautiful person she is, is how her career is built on new opportunities that lead her in different directions and how she never let any of them go to waste.

For instance, Kimberly never did a weave/extensions until a co-worker simply asked her if she could sew in a track. She was also asked to do the hair for a church play where the director, Robert Townsend, was in attendance and how after meeting him, she called and called and called for a year, before receiving a call from Robert requesting images of the craziest hairstyles she could create. Kim, as usual, got to work straight away and sent images off to Robert, this time not hearing anything back from him for about a week when a follow up phone call came asking Kim, when her salon was open and what were her hours, that was it. Kimberly continued working at her salon that week and returned the next week to take care of her guests thinking nothing much of the previous week's call until she looked up and saw Robert Townsend and Halle Berry entering her salon.

After creating some styles for Halle at the salon that day, Kimberly was offered the job creating the hair for the movie BAPS, but she had one condition, that they also help her get her SAG card to be in the Union, a credential for working on films and television sets. Now with a career that most of us could never even dream of with a successful salon, product line, tools and a schedule that keeps her busy with some of the biggest celebrities in the world, Kimberly was able to give back to the woman that gave her life and make her mom's dream come true by getting her in the union too-and by the way, her mom did the hair for the movie Burlesque!

Kimberly Kimble touched my life, my heart and taught me that success isn't just about what you plan, sometimes it's about taking the opportunities that are offered that takes you beyond your dreams.

Patrick McIvor, Matrix Artistic Director – the leading professional haircare and haircolor company in the United States and part of the L'Oreal USA Professional Products Division. He owns patrick mcivor color studio (Bethlehem, PA) and studio two (Allentown, PA) – the two hottest hair studios in the Lehigh Valley. As one of the most respected colorists in the industry, McIvor mentors his team by involving them in runway work at New York Fashion Week; fashion/beauty editorial shoots and interviews with publications like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Real Simple, Seventeen, Family Circle and Allure (editors named him best colorist in the USA); and television segments on "The 10! Show"/NBC Channel 10, WFMZ "Channel 69 News" and "Good Housekeeping Reports." His studio provides stellar hair services inspired by international cosmopolitan influences such as fashion, cultural and global trends. In other words, guests leave with beautiful, sexy believable hair. McIvor is also featured in the book "50 Hairstylists."